Pink Visual Rings Up Steady Traffic with iPhone Apps

An interview with brand and product manager Kim Kysar

Pink Visual’s foray into mobile content delivery kicked off with the groundbreaking launch of iPinkVisual.com in January 2008. The site, which provides free, downloadable clips for handheld media players, soon rung up a steady stream of web traffic and national media attention from sources such as PCMag.com, Time.com, and CNBC.

What has response been like toward the apps and content offered on iPinkVisual.com and iPinkVisualPass.com?

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The response has been fantastic in terms of membership and daily traffic. It was slow going when we first launched, but we didn’t give up on the market. We looked for ways to improve our offerings and better optimize the site for the iPhone as it was rapidly becoming the leading mobile browsing device in the U.S. market. By summer 2008, the site really began to take off. The main draw is our video content, but we’ve seen a lot of users gravitating toward iTouchHer, our 3D episodes and our other extras.

iPhone Apps are extremely useful. But do people really need to jerk off to Milf Seeker while on the bus or in line at the bank?

We don’t really expect that people are publicly consuming porn on their iPhone. But it’s a handy tool for business travelers and, ultimately, a far more personal device than a laptop. Most people don’t loan their phones to other people for any extended amount of time—so porn on their phone, or in their mobile browser history, is far less likely to be discovered than on a laptop or PC.

PCs now tend to be like the TV—a central point of attraction that family members, guests and friends might use. Devices like the iPhone return privacy to internet browsing, even in the home. So, it’s not just the novelty factor; there are some practical advantages to mobile porn consumption, as well.

What concerns does Pink Visual have in regard to providing adult-oriented apps around Apple’s content policies?

We’re not working around them in a way that harms or defames Apple, so we’re not at all worried about repercussions or recriminations. We’re not playing “bait and switch” games with the App Store—which some other companies have done—and we’re not trying to rile up users in revolt against Apple’s content policies.

At the end of the day, Apple is selling a device that allows you to access the web and, like any device that can access the web, it is bound to be used to download and view content that its designers, marketers and resellers may or may not approve of. I suspect Apple is comfortable with that fact, and there’s no question that their customers are plenty comfortable with it.

What was Pink Visual’s strategy behind using the iPhone 3GS to shoot a sex scene?

With all the excitement over the 3GS, we figured a porn scene shot on the device would make for a compelling story within the adult industry and in the mainstream media—and we were right; that story took off like wildfire in the mainstream press and the tech blogosphere, and we’ve seen a nice bump in traffic and in inquiries from the media. We do plan to make further use of the iPhone in shooting content for our sites.

How does the mobile market compare to VOD and other online platforms?

At the moment, the mobile market appears to be steadier in terms of membership retention and producing lower chargeback rates than the other online platforms. There are lots of theories as to why this is the case. Some of the explanation has to do with the core user demographic. If you own and use an iPhone, for example, you are at least financially well off enough to (a) purchase an iPhone and (b) afford the data plan that goes with it. The mobile market has a higher ratio of “proven purchasers” than does the general online adult market.